gender issues and diversity in occupational safety and health · • include gender in data...
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Gender issues and diversity in occupational safety and health
First Conference of Director GeneralsDublin, April 18th – 20th 2004
“Making a Difference” A Future For European Workers
Hans-Horst KonkolewskyDirector
EU Policy Agenda
• The Lisbon objectives include:– Increase employment participation rates– Not only to create jobs, but quality jobs
• Strategic role of OSH to achieve objectives – OSH improvements will:– Facilitate getting workers into employment– Enable workers to stay in employment– Ensure work and workplaces suitable for a
diverse population
Community Strategy for Safety and Health at Work (2002)
• OSH Policy and action must take account of an increasingly feminisedand diverse working population
• New challenges for OSH to address:– Young and older workers– Gender– Workers with disabilities– Migrant/immigrant workers
• Importance of mainstreaming OSH into other policy areas
Aims of the Agency gender study
• Gender differences in workplace injury and ill health – What? Why?
• Gaps in knowledge• Approaches being taken to gender and
OSH – policy and practice• What further action can be taken
In order to support the development of policy and action, to explore:
Methodology of Agency gender study
• Review of scientific literature, current policy and good practices
• Carried out by the Agency with the input of experts from OSH institutions in the Member States
• International peer review group
Employment rate of men and women
Different jobs, different work circumstances
• Gender segregation strong:– Horizontal: not same jobs– Vertical: less women in senior positions
• Women’s greater home responsibilities • Higher proportion of women in low paid,
low skilled, part-time and precarious jobs• Discrimination of women has OSH
impact
Gender and sectors
56
84
84
75
73
66
58
56
47
44
25
5
44
16
16
25
27
34
42
44
53
56
75
95
Total
Extraction
Utilities
Transport and communications
Manufacturing
Agriculture
Financial services
Public administration
sales, hotel and catering
Other community services
Health and education
Private households and extra-territorial%
WomenMen
28 28 28 28
20 20 2018
17 17 17 16 16
13
8
19
DK FIN S UK F IRL NL P B I L A D E EL EU
%
Workers for whom the immediate superior is a woman
Gender differenceshazard health outcome/more exposed
bothReproductive hazardsbothInappropriate work hours
womenInappropriate tools/PPEwomenInfectious diseaseswomenAsthma, allergiesmenOccupational cancermenNoise/hearing losswomenExternal violencewomenStressmenHeavy liftingwomenUpper limb disordersmenDeaths and accidents
Women workers more likely to:
• Suffer work-related stress, including confrontation with violent members of the public – hospitals, shops
• Be exposed to health problems• Work in highly repetitive jobs• Suffer work-related allergies,
dermatitis • Be exposed to infectious diseases in
their work• Work longer hours overall (paid work
+ home)• Have a more hectic life
Key conclusions of the report (1)
• Improvements needed to research and monitoring
• Imbalances in research and prevention• Problems with gender-neutrality – less
attention paid to women • Existing legislation can be implemented
in a gender-sensitive way• Women’s weaker involvement in OSH
decision making
Conclusions (2)
• Cross country trends, but some individual country differences
• Women (or men) are not a homogeneous group – OSH implications
• Holistic approach to OSH needed
• Scope for including OSH in employment equality actions
• Examples of successful gender approaches in OSH exist
Risks to women underestimated or get less attention where:
• More attention has been given to male workers
• Women invisible as workers • Women invisible at work • Assumptions made that women do not
face risks, do not do heavy work• Men’s work risks more visible:
Men - accidents, women - ill health
Risks to women underestimated or get less attention where:
• Studies exclude or ignore women
• Statistics not collected/analysed by gender
• Statistics ignore different time exposures
• Statistical indicator’s relevant to women’s jobs not included
• Women less involved in decision-making
• Women’s responsibilities at home not recognised
Many examples of good practice
• Participative ergonomic research methods, looking at real jobs, involving workers
• Research programme specifically targeting women’s jobs, sectors where women work
• Stress investigations including work-life balance
• Guides and campaigns tackling risks in women’s jobs or risks more prevalent in women – e.g. hair dressing
Recommendations (1)
• Include gender in data collection• Ensure gender balance in research
programmes• Fill gaps in research, e.g standing
work, menstrual disorders• Assess gender impact of policies, changes
in the world of work etc.• Consider double-work load and promote
work-life balance policies• Investigate and share good practices
Recommendations (2)
• Mainstream gender issues into OSH, and OSH/gender into other policy areas
• Promote interdisciplinary cooperation
• Improve gender sensitivity in the implementation of existing directives
• Incorporate gender into standard setting
• Promote women’s representation in OSH decision making
• Raise awareness and promote a gender-sensitive approach
Recommendations (3) risk assessment
• Avoid assumptions of who is at risk
• Include women’s jobs and consult them
• Look at real work situations
• Match jobs, equipment to real people
• Include work-life balance
• Incorporate into a holistic approach
Suggestions to take forward gender mainstreaming and OSH (1)
• OSH policy bodies at EU and national level
• Sector dialogue committees, and development of guidelines
• Equalities organisations to examine how to include OSH in their activities
• Women’s health organisations to be encouraged to cover OSH
• OSH and equalities organisations at EU and national level to explore cooperation
Suggestions for mainstreaming (2)
• The Agency report includes a basic method for mainstreaming gender into risk assessment. How can this method be:
• Tested?
• Developed and adapted?
• Promoted?
Incorporating diversity into OSH
• Statistics and research to cover a diverse workforce
• From neutral to sensitive risk assessments
• Diversity in training and guidelines• Working with other intermediaries – who
and how?• Overcoming antipathy to OSH and
diversity issues.